Category Archives: Bourbon

The Sunday Pour: The Empty Glass

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

A shared bourbon glass eventually empties, but the empty glass is not always asking for another pour. Sometimes it is simply reminding us that enough can be enough. Continue reading →

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Open Letter to Heaven Hill Distilleries: Don’t Promise What the Shelf Can’t Deliver

Posted on April 10, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Two recent Evan Williams releases — one patriotic, one collegiate — have bourbon drinkers asking a simple question: if the bottle is announced nationally, why can’t anyone actually find it? Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 32: Four Budget Bourbons, One Pecan Experiment

Posted on April 9, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

What happens when four sub-$30 bourbons spend nine hours with toasted pecan wood? A simple experiment produced four very different results — and proved once again that affordable bottles can be surprisingly flexible. Continue reading →

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Tasting Tuesday: Nine Bourbons, Extra Oak, and One Familiar Winner

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Nine bourbons with extra wood influence—double oak, triple oak, quad oak, cask finishing, and one personal experiment—went head to head in a blind tasting. A few surprises emerged, one bottle overperformed, and one familiar favorite proved again why it remains one of the best finished bourbons on my shelf. Continue reading →

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March Bourbon Madness: Best-of-the-Shelf Challenge—Final Four and Championship

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

The bracket comes down to depth versus dessert. Far Better outlasts a loaded field with layered complexity and a finish that simply wouldn’t quit, edging Toasted Pecan in a category-by-category championship battle. Sixty-four bottles entered. One remained. Continue reading →

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The Sunday Pour: The Distiller’s Hand

Posted on April 5, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

A great bottle carries intention from mashbill to bottle. So does life. Even when we cannot see where things are headed, God has never been guessing. Continue reading →

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March Bourbon Madness: Best-of-the-Shelf Challenge—Elite 8

Posted on April 4, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

The Elite Eight delivered razor-thin margins and decisive finishes. Far Better edges Sweet Mash on texture, Nashtucky outlasts a barrel-proof favorite, Toasted Pecan flexes its banana-toffee edge, and Woodford Double Oaked leans fully into dessert mode. The Final Four is set—and every remaining pour is built on depth and finish. Continue reading →

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March Bourbon Madness: Best-of-the-Shelf Challenge—Very Sweet 16 Matchups 5-8

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

The Sweet 16 wraps with decisive finishes and a few statement wins. Old Forester Single Barrel edges a classic, Toasted Pecan keeps rolling, 13th Colony flexes its depth, and Woodford Double Oaked advances on sweet persistence. The Elite Eight is officially set—and every remaining pour is a threat. Continue reading →

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March Bourbon Madness: Best-of-the-Shelf Challenge—Very Sweet 16 Matchups 1-4

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

The Sweet 16 opens with four heavyweights advancing on depth, viscosity, and finish length. Far Better flexes, Sweet Mash survives a near coin-flip, a barrel-proof Jack storms through, and Nashtucky proves its layered complexity. Half the Elite Eight is set—the rest will be decided next. Continue reading →

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The Sunday Pour: Spring Pour—Rediscovering What Was Already There

Posted on March 29, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Spring does not always bring something entirely new. Sometimes it simply helps us rediscover something good that had slipped out of sight—much like an overlooked bottle on the back shelf that suddenly reminds us why it belonged there all along. Continue reading →

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